A Mother Falls Prey: Ch. 01

Chapter One: The Thrill of the Hunt

Rodney tugged at the straps of his backpack, pulling the bag closer up onto his shoulders. His feet on the pavement made little sound as he walked at a brisk pace, and frequently turned his head to check back down the road. The route he had chosen to take home from school was not direct, it took him nearly halfway around the neighborhood out of the way, nor was it scenic, nor any other pleasant or convenient thing. The reason he had taken this route was to avoid coming face to face with some fellow seniors from his high school, a group of boys who since elementary school had delighted in hounding, harassing, and tormenting him. A chance encounter with the boys would inevitably lead to Rodney lying sprawled on the ground, his face smeared with dirt, his arms sore and red, and his eyes stinging with the effort of holding back tears. Above him, the bullies would laugh and mock him, spit on him, kick him, tell him to get up and fight. He never did.

They never took it too far, never left permanent marks or inflicted serious damage. They knew exactly what they could get away with and not be detected. It was unfortunate for Rodney that while he was another faceless, mediocre-level student who declined to participate in any extracurricular activities and was given little notice by teachers, his bullies were all senior athletes, a few of them on honor roll and members of student council. There would be no justice from the school faculty if the bullying was ever even brought to their attention. So, once the group has decided Rodney had taken enough torment for a day, they would leave him to wipe his face clean, rearrange his clothes to hide the bruising, and head home.

Once home, however, Rodney felt safe as he did like nowhere else in his life. He lived with only his mother, Hannah, who loved Rodney more than anything. Waiting for him each day, she always had a snack ready, a kind word, was enthusiastic to hear about how his day was and what he had done and learned, not that he was particularly honest about all aspects of his school life. He liked to keep things compartmentalized. Go to school, endure; go home, heal. He couldn't help feeling happy when he was home with his mother, watching a movie or playing a board game with her. He wondered sometimes if she were as happy as she appeared, spending all her time at work, giving up her mornings and afternoons as a receptionist, then choosing to forgo the extra pay to come home early to care for him. He didn't dwell on it though, he was glad she valued him that much, since nobody else did.

There had been a horrible event two weeks ago, in which Rodney, on his way home, had been accosted by the bullies at a corner a few blocks from his house. The five of them had advanced, grinning and hollering at him. Rodney never ran, he could never outrun the boys, but something had made them stop. A car, turning onto the street, had stopped and rolled down the window. Recognizing his mother's car, Rodney had watched as she leaned out of the window and gave him a cheerful wave, smiling as she had asked, "Are these friends of yours?"

Rodney had forced a smile, not wanting her to know the truth, and replied, "Sort of...we're in some classes together."

Hannah waved at the bullies, giving a pretty smile as she looked at them. One of the bullies, Dane, had come up beside Rodney and held out his hand. Rodney had watched as his mother took his bully's hand and shook, beaming at him.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Bell," he had said, his eyes fixed on her.

His mother had laughed and said, "Oh, it's Ms. Bell, but thank you! It's nice to meet you too!" Turning her attention back to Rodney, she said, "I'm heading over to the store, but I left your snack on the table. I'll be back soon!"

Giving Dane a polite smile and waving to his friends as she passed, Hannah had rolled up the window and driven away, leaving Rodney standing in the street with his bullies. Once the car was out of view, Dane elbowed him in the side and said, "Damn dude, you never told me your mom was so smoking!"

By that point the bullies had surrounded him, and one of them, Noah, had laughed, "A total milf! I'd love to get a piece of that ass!"

"Did you see the dress she was wearing?" said Lucas, "I bet she hasn't got any panties on underneath."

The bullies laughed disgustingly, and Rodney had felt his face redden, his blood boiling at the way these foul oafs were talking about his own mother. But he didn't dare argue, didn't dare fight back or stand up for his mother against his tormenters.

That event had been what caused Rodney to seek a different route home, terrified more of a repeat encounter between the bullies and his mother than any threat to himself. So caught up was he in reliving the memory and wishing Dane and the rest would drive off a bridge that he failed to notice the sound behind him until too late. By the time he heard the car approaching, it was already within a hundred feet. Recognizing it as Noah's, his mind raced at once with thoughts of evading capture. To his left were brambles and barbed-wire fence, no good. To his right was a grassy field. Perhaps with a head start...

He bolted, his feet pounding on the hard earth as he ran. His backpack bounced awkwardly on his back, heavy books thumping into his spine. He heard the whooping of the bullies as they pursued, and before he was halfway across the field something massive collided into him from behind, sending him flying forward to the ground. He caught himself on his elbows and tried to turn around, but someone had seized his backpack and yanked it off his shoulders. He heard it being tossed away as tall figures surrounded him. A pair of hands forced him back down, shoving his face into the dirt, a foot was placed on his back.

"Hey Rodney, you thought you could fucking outrun us? You couldn't get away with a ten minute head start."

It was true. Dane and Hayden were both on the football team, and Lucas ran cross-country. Still, he said nothing, knowing better than to argue once he had been caught.

Someone knelt down beside him, grabbing his hair and making him turn his head to look. It was Dane, smirking viciously at him.

"You been paying attention in bio?" he asked. It was an odd question, given the context.

Panting from the exertion of running, his head pounding, Rodney replied, "Yes?"

"Good," said Dane, "I love that shit, food chains and habitats. You know how they talk about survival of the fittest, I have no fucking idea how you've survived this long."

Rodney said nothing, trying to catch his breath and hold back tears.

"Know how Mr. North was talking about predators and prey and niches and shit? You're definitely like the prey."

The other boys laughed. Rodney lay still, miserable and afraid.

"What does that make me?" asked Dane.

Rodney again said nothing.

"Answer him!" shouted Hayden, stepping on his wrist.

"A predator!" Rodney yelped, trying to pull his arm free.

"Right," said Dane, "But today is your lucky day...I'm not hunting you."

He stood up, saying something Rodney couldn't make out, and a moment later he was being dragged to his feet, his neck in a tight vice under Lucas' arm. The boys marched him back to the car where Noah was waiting. Hurling him into the backseat, Lucas climbed in beside him as Hayden went around to the opposite seat, pinning him between them. He gasped and choked, though trying not to cry. This was going far, farther than anything before. Would they take him somewhere? What were they going to do to him?

In the front seat, Noah and Adrian looked back at him, their faces etched into cruel grins. Dane, still outside the car, leaned in through the open window and threw his backpack down onto the floor at his feet.

"Give me your phone," he demanded, and Rodney, not daring to refuse, quickly handed Dane the device. He waited, fighting back tears, as he watched Dane type something on his phone.

"Cool," said Dane, "I just texted your mom, letting her know you're staying late after school because you got detention. And it seems like you forgot a book in one of your classes."

Rodney groaned. Why were they doing this? Were they trying to ruin his reputation at home, too?

"Looks like I'll have to go return it for you, since I'm not in detention," Dane chuckled. His friends laughed too.

Rodney held his breath...was Dane actually going over to his house?

"Oh and also," Dane continued, "I've downloaded an app onto your phone, so now I can start a live recording from my phone...and yours will pick it up."

Sure enough, from Rodney's phone came the clear sound of their own conversation. Rodney shivered, not understanding why Dane was doing this or where it was going.

"See you later, loser," Dane said, "You're not the prey today."

And he left, leaving Rodney sandwiched between Lucas and Hayden, his bullies crowded around him, laughing.

"Dude," said Noah, "He's gonna fuck your milf mom."

Rodney trembled, his face pressed into the floor as he fought back tears. It wouldn't happen, there was no way. She was too smart, too good, too kind...but the image of Dane's hands on her filled Rodney's mind, and he shuddered.

Dane carried the biology text book in one arm as he striding down the street. His long legs carried him much faster than Rodney, and it was only a matter of minutes before he was strutting across the lawn to Rodney's front door. He gave a quick knock and stepped back, waiting for half a minute before the door was opened.

There was Ms. Hannah Bell, a sight to behold. She was slim and not tall, her face level with Dane's chest. She was dressed in a white blouse, untucked from her jeans, and had bare feet. Her teased brunette hair and professional makeup suggested she had only recently arrived home from work.

"Oh, hello!" she said brightly, looking up at him, "Can I help you?"

Dane gave a timid smile and said, "Umm, yeah, sorry. I'm a classmate of Rodney's and I think he maybe forgot this at school?" He held up the biology textbook and added, "It's got his name on it."

Hannah's face fell a little at her son's name. "Oh, well, Rodney is actually...he's actually still at school right now, but thank you so much! That's very kind of you!"

Dane nodded and said, "Don't mention it, I just wanted to make sure he got it back." He feigned a deep huff and added, "Uhh, would it be cool if I had a glass of water? I've been jogging and I forgot to bring my bottle."

Hannah blinked for a moment, then said, "Yes, of course! I can go get you some." She tossed her head and continued, "Oh, and you can sit down for a minute too if you like."

Dane followed her inside, closing the door behind him as he watched her move through the small living room into a narrow kitchen. He looked at her backside as she reached up for a glass, then filled it from a faucet on the fridge. Standing by the doorway, he waited for her to return.

Once Hannah turned, she said again, "Really, sit down! You must be out of breath jogging all the way here with that book."

Dane accepted the offer, taking a seat in a chair beside the sofa. He placed the book on the coffee table as Hannah sat down on the sofa near him, handing him the water. He took it and gulped half of it down before saying, "Thank you so much, Ms. Bell!"

Hannah smiled, her cheeks folding into cute dimples. For a woman her age, she was remarkably youthful, Dane thought to himself.

"I thought I recognized you," she said, "You're Rodney's friend from the other day, aren't you?"

Dane smiled back and said, "Yeah, I'm glad you remember that. My name's Dane, I don't think I introduced myself last time."

"Wonderful! It isn't often I see any of Rodney's friends. He keeps to himself mostly."

Nodding, Dane said, "Yeah, he's pretty shy, but my friends and I are trying to get him to come out of his shell."

Hannah grinned. "That's so sweet of you! He needs friends like you, boys he can learn from and get more confident."

In the car, Rodney was trying not to listen to anything coming from his phone. His mother had actually let that asshole into his house! She was talking with him, telling him he was sweet for... for what? For tormenting her son every day? He wished he had told her more about what was really going on, then she could give Dane a piece of her mind.

"She thinks you lack confidence," said Adrian. The rest of them laughed.

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Dane took another sip of water and looked over at Hannah. She had crossed her legs and had one hand in her lap, her other hand against her cheek as she leaned her elbow on the arm of the sofa. A moment passed between them before Dane spoke.

"He's a nice kid, but he's really soft. I think he should stick up for himself more."

"Oh absolutely," said Hannah, "He doesn't really tell me much, but I know he has a hard time in school. Bullies and stuff, other kids making fun of him. I guess when you're that age...well, you're that age too, you know how it goes."

Dane nodded and finished his water, setting it on the coffee table. "Yeah, it's not easy, but he doesn't make it any easier on himself. At least he has you though, he talks about you a lot."

"Does he?" asked Hannah, "I'm surprised."

"Yup, he says you work really hard and your cooking is the best."

Hannah laughed, "Well, I try my best, but I'm not a chef or anything. I suppose I do work pretty hard though..." She trailed off, her eyes focusing on the blank TV screen, seeing her reflection in the glass.

Dane watched her, seeing her slight frown, and said calmly, "I guess...I mean, without a husband around you have to do it all on your own."

Hannah jerked her head back to Dane, her frown growing. "Huh? Well, yes, there's really no getting around it. But it's for the best, as long as Rodney has a roof over his head."

"But what about you?" Dane asked, innocently enough.

"What about me?" Hannah asked, not understanding the question.

"What about, like, you and how you feel? Don't you ever wish you had a break?"

Hannah's frown faded, and she gave Dane a fond smile. "Oh, you are sweet aren't you! Well yes, I sometimes do wish I could take a break, goodness knows I haven't had one in a while. I haven't even been on a date in years..." she stopped herself, then continued, "But I'm just fine so long as Rodney is happy."

Dane pressed ahead with reckless direction, trusting his own confidence.

"Not in years? Oh wow, I'm actually surprised! Umm, sorry if that's rude of me to say..."

Laughing for his feigned innocence, Hannah said, "Oh not at all, it's fine. I don't really talk about it much with anyone. It's not like it's on my mind..."

She trailed off again, biting her lip and looking back at the TV. Dane, sensing opportunity, leaned in towards her and said, "Do you want to talk about it? My friends say I'm a good listener."

Hannah turned her eyes back to him, her cheek resting on her fingers, and said, "Oh, I don't want to bother you with an old lady's problems, never you mind about me." Still, her eyes couldn't help meeting his, and she seemed on the edge of saying more.

"You're not an old lady at all!" said Dane, "Actually, I was surprised that you were Rodney's mom, you seem...young."

Her smile was more genuine, a real reaction, as she said, "Young? Well, I had him young, probably why my marriage didn't work out...but you're right, I'm suppose I'm not that old, I'm not even forty yet."

"I guess it's hard to find time for yourself when you're that age, with a kid and all that."

Hannah nodded, "Yes, well, I do my best. I don't have the energy I used to but I've got experience, and that counts for something."

Dane watched her, surprised at how easily she was opening up to him, disclosing feelings she clearly hadn't even confided in her son. He pressed the subject further.

"Still, you must want to have some fun sometimes, like going out with friends or on dates? I'm sure you could find a way somehow."

The woman smiled at him, a touch of color in her cheeks as she said, "Oh, it's just not worth the hassle anymore. Finding a date is easy, but a good single man is rare, especially at my age."

She hesitated, and then added as an afterthought, "And I'm afraid I'd just be boring."

Dane shook his head, and in a moment was on his feet, moving between sofa and coffee table to take a seat beside Hannah. She turned around to watch him, seeming surprised by his sudden proximity, but allowed him the space.

"You're not boring at all! Honestly, Ms. Bell," said Dane, "I hope you don't mind me saying it but..." he dropped his eyes to his lap, shuffling his feet.

"Saying what?" asked Hannah, she seemed eager to hear and was nearly laughing, trying not to make him feel awkward.

Dane raised his eyes to hers again and murmured, "Well...I mean, I think you're really pretty."

Hannah blushed, but her smile remained, her white teeth showing behind red lips. One of her fingers by her face was twisting into a lock of hair.

"Oh goodness," she said, "Well, thank you...That's very nice of you to say."

"Yeah, but you probably hear that all the time," said Dane, grinning.

Hannah shook her head, "No, well, not from anyone as polite as you. Usually it's men on the bus or on the street or at work..." she sighed, looking down at her own lap.

"Oh," said Dane, "Well, I hope it's better when I say it, I didn't mean to be weird."

"It's not weird," said Hannah, still looking at her lap, "It's just been a while since I felt pretty without being made to feel bad about it."

The car had become hot with the five boys inside it, so Noah had opened all the windows and let in a pleasant breeze. Huddled between the bullies, Rodney sat trembling with rage and confusion as he listened to the conversation. Why wasn't his mother telling that asshole to jog back home? Where were they now? Her voice had grown louder, as if Dane had moved nearer to her, and now he had told her she was pretty? It was almost as if...as if she was enjoying being flirted with like this. But that was impossible!

Dane continued, "You should feel great about it! You're a beautiful woman!"

Her eyes still down, Hannah murmured, "Thank you, you're very sweet...I just, it's different when you get to my age."

Dane moved closer to her, their legs now brushing against each other. Hannah, feeling the contact, looked up in surprise, her eyes meeting Dane's, closer now than she could remember her eyes being to any man in years...

"Hey, umm, Dane..." she started to say, gazing up at him with her soft doe eyes. She hesitated, the closeness of this boy bewildering her.

In the moment of hesitation, Dane leaned in, bringing his lips to her. She froze, letting him linger in the kiss for a moment before pulling back, his body now leaned close by hers against the sofa, one of his hands on hers in her lap.

She gasped in shock. "Dane! I...I can't..."

"You can," he whispered, and went in for another kiss. She pulled back, leaning her head away, and the words that came from her lips were just the words he wanted to hear.

"Oh my...I don't know...you're so young..."

He smiled at her, his eyes glistening, "That doesn't matter."

"If Rodney finds out..." she protested, biting her lip.

"He won't, he's at school, remember."

Before she could say another word he kissed her again, and this time felt her respond, parting her lips to kiss back. She leaned into him, her body pressing to him as he wrapped his arms about her, holding her, their kiss becoming more passionate as Hannah's pent up excitement was released. He growled low in his throat, a primal purr, and she gave a soft sigh, trembling with anticipation as she felt him hold her thin body.